USS Astoria (AK-8)

The first USS "Astoria" (SP-2005/AK-8), a steel-hulled, coal burning steam cargoman constructed in 1902 at Sunderland, England, by J. Blumer & Co. as SS "Burbo Bank" for the Fenwick Shipping Co., Ltd., was acquired by Leonhardt & Blumberg of Hamburg, Germany, shortly before the beginning of World War I and was renamed SS "Frieda Leonhardt". After the outbreak of hostilities, she took refuge in Jacksonville, Florida, and remained there until the United States entered the war against Germany in the spring of 1917.

She was then seized by United States Customs officials and was turned over to the United States Shipping Board (USSB). Transferred to the Navy by an executive order dated 22 May 1917, the freighter was moved to Charleston, South Carolina, to be prepared in the navy yard there for naval service. Renamed "Astoria", she completed conversion late in 1917 and was commissioned on 15 November 1917, Lt. Comdr. Warren F. Purdy, NNV, in command.

Assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service, "Astoria" departed Charleston on 23 November for a voyage to Gulfport, Mississippi, and back; reentered Charleston on 19 December; and remained until the last day of the year when she got underway for Hampton Roads, Virginia. The ship loaded a cargo of Army supplies, put to sea on 26 January 1918, and reached the French coast early in February. On 15 February—while anchored in port at Brest, France—"Astoria" was rammed by the French ship SS "La Drome" and suffered damage which required several weeks of repairs before she could resume action.

On 10 May, the ship was assigned duty as a coal carrier for the Army. In that capacity, she shuttled between Cardiff, Wales, and the French ports of Brest, St. Nazaire, and La Pallice for the remainder of the war and into 1919. After a stop at Queenstown, Ireland, between 2 and 22 February, she got underway for the United States and operated along the east coast until April 1919 when she began one more round-trip voyage to France. Upon her return, she resumed cargo-carrying operations out of Norfolk and continued that role through the end of 1919. She stood out of Norfolk, on 5 January 1920, and steamed through the Panama Canal to the west coast. During her 10 months of operations with the Pacific Fleet, she was classified AK-8 on 17 July 1920. On 11 November, the ship headed back toward the east coast.

"Astoria" was decommissioned at Boston, Massachusetts, on 20 April 1921; and she was sold on 20 December 1921 to Mr. Richard T. Green of Chelsea, Massachusetts. Thereafter, the ship remained active in merchant service—under the names "Astoria" and, later, "Hartwelson"—for more than two decades. On 5 May 1943, she ran aground on Bantam Rock, Sheepscot Bar, Maine, and foundered.

See also

See USS "Astoria" for other Navy ships of the same name.

References

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a13/astoria-i.htm]

External links

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-a/id2005.htm Official photo of USS "Astoria"]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/172005.htm navsource.org: USS "Astoria" (SP-2005)]